


Interlude: An Empire

by cracklesnaple



Series: the fall of a hero [4]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adventure, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Child Abandonment, Family Dynamics, Gen, Gore, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Minecraft Realism, Old Gods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cracklesnaple/pseuds/cracklesnaple
Summary: There's a reason Technoblade didn't like heroes and thrived on anarchy. This is his story.(part of 'the fall of a hero' series but can be read as a standalone!)
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, family dynamics y'all
Series: the fall of a hero [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036035
Comments: 13
Kudos: 265





	Interlude: An Empire

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this took so long to get out! it's over 10k words and 21 pages long so it required a lot of work! i hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> reminder: this fic is a depiction of the characters the creators portray on the dream smp, not their irl selves. if any of the cc's say they're not comfortable with fics being written, this will be taken down. don't send my work or any of the work within the fandom to the creators because they don't need that shit. and remember that this is all just acting and everyone are friends with each other irl. thanks!
> 
> [playlist for the fic ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4zcWofQLfmQDQ2lYklN8RU?si=qyXiBndGQsmfeXR5ng1Uvw)

_"Let me tell you a story, Tommy."_

_"A story of a man named Theseus. His city-state was in danger and he sent himself forward into enemy lines. He slayed the minotaur and saved his city! And you know what they did to him, Tommy? They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people."_

Before Technoblade became known as the fiercest warrior in the world, he was alone. Before he became the champion of the Blood God and made his living in battle, he was a street rat. Before his father took him in and guided him to a new life, Technoblade had no name. Before he was someone, he was no one.

He didn’t know if he was born in the Nether or abandoned in the unforgiving world, but he did know he grew up there. Grew up amongst the lava and hellish mobs and the other piglins who wanted nothing to do with the bastard hybrid. From the beginning, as long as he could remember, he was alone. The piglins kept as far away from the young hybrid as much as they possibly could but the mindless mobs that had already been corrupted by the Nether didn’t hesitate to set their sights on the easy prey.

Technoblade has been fighting since an early age, but it was only out of necessity at this time. He scavenged gold from long forgotten structures and polished dented tools from hands of dead pigmen that others of his kind were too scared to go near. The boy learned how to make the soft metal last longer, and knew that quick, precise slashes were more effective than barrages. By the time he was little more than a boy, he could best some of the strongest brutes that guarded the decrepit buildings he stole from.

Word traveled quickly throughout the Nether since the population had dwindled to small numbers and only the piglins were left uncorrupted. Soon, most sounders avoided the area when traveling for fear of upsetting the feral piglin. He learned to like the quiet, to thrive with only the constant sounds of lava bubbling beneath him, an ever constant promise of death should he ever mess up. The young piglin trained and learned on his own, always wishing for a family like the ones he saw whenever he saw sounders migrating, and he swore to himself that, if he ever were to get a family, he’d never do anything to jeopardize it.

He was along when his tusks grew in. The piglin thought he understood pain from his already countless fights with mobs and other piglins but he took it all back. The constant pain as the ivory pushed through skin until it broke open had kept him delirious the entire time. Usually, young piglins are taken care of by their elders and are kept close during the growing process. Since he wasn’t part of a sounder, he was forced to deal and cope with the pain on his own. Thankfully, the process didn’t take long and he got a reprieve after the tusks broke skin. It took the piglin a while to get control of the new teeth but his instincts caught up quickly.

The piglin’s world changed on an ordinary day. The piglin had been attempting to trade with a wandering sounder, angry grunts and hoof stamps were telltale of how well that had gone for him. Unsuccessful, though he wasn’t surprised, he left the group alone and headed back to his “home” which was a broken down bastion that had looted a while ago and took over. After filling in the holes, it had been safe for him to stay in because other piglins were too nervous to venture into them.

As he walked away, he could hear the grunts and snorts of the sounder get louder and then the sound of metal on metal. He looked over his shoulder, pink hair falling into his eyes which he brushed away impatiently. In the middle of a horde of angry piglins stood a man decked in a weirdly soft looking green and white helmet and a couple layers of long, green and black fabric, but his golden hair was the first thing that drew the young piglin in. The piglin had never seen a human before, especially one so close to a piglin sounder. He only knew of them from the whispers of wanderers and left over portals that littered the realm.

The man didn’t seem too terribly concerned with the amassing group, instead he smiled gently and holded out a few golden blocks. Ingots. This random human had real, intact golden ingots, and plenty of them it seemed, and more piglins surrounded him at the sight of their most valuable currency. Even from feet away, the lone piglin could see the man’s jovial smile and he remembered it being the first time he had ever seen someone so happy.

He was just about to turn around and leave when the man spotted him. With graceful movements he had only seen from piglin brutes, the man made his way out of the horde, who were all successfully entranced by the gold, and walked to him. The piglin took a step back, hand immediately flying to the dented golden sword tied to his side by a bright blue vine. The man held his hands up placatingly, showing the younger one that he meant no harm. He knelt down on one knee until he was eye level with piglin, who let out a series of barks to warn him away.

The man’s mouth opened but only gibberish fell through. The piglin cocked his head to the side, not understanding what the other was saying. Logically, he knew that humans would have a different language than the language of the Nether, but he was frustrated when he couldn’t understand. The man’s eyes lit up in understanding, recognizing that the piglin didn’t know what he was saying. The young piglin watched as the older one reached into the hide strapped to his shoulder and as he pulled out a weird helmet that looked as if it had been cut in half horizontally. The piglin didn’t hesitate the small golden helmet out of his hands and inspected it.

The item seemed to be made mostly of gold, but there were gems of other colors scattered around it as well. Some colors that he had never seen before and ones like the red of the ground and blue like the fire that souls burned at. The man laughed at the piglin’s curious reaction and held his hands out to take back the helmet but the young creature yanked his hands back and growled at the other. The man waited patiently, never looking away from untrusting pink eyes until the piglin gave in and slowly handed him back the gold. He seemed grateful, though the pigling couldn’t be sure, as he reached up and rested the helmet on the piglin’s head. The headpiece slipped past his eyes as it was too big for his head and the man laughed loudly, saying something he couldn’t understand again.

The man said something again as the piglin adjusted the helmet until it was no longer blocking his sight. Grunting questioningly at the man, he repeated his words while pointing at himself.

“Philza,” the man said, or at least that’s what the pigling could make out. The younger assumed that was the man’s title in the human world and he nodded in understanding. The man- Philza- pointed to him as a question. Not having any name or title that he could give the man, he shook his head and went back to inspecting the helmet. He heard the man hum, the low sound almost swallowed by the sudden shriek of a ghast a good ways off.

“Technoblade?” The piglin glanced up at the soft noise and the man repeated the words while pointing to the piglin. He copied the point.

“T’e’bla’d?” the piglin struggled to say, mouth and throat working in ways it never had before but Phila looked delighted and nodded.

“Technoblade!” he repeated and the newly named piglin squealed happily, making Philza smile warmly. The man stood but reached a head down to Techno, who took it after a moment. He was led to a structure of black and swirling purple that hurt his head to look at for a long time. Techno was able to tell that structure was a portal to another world. Philza beckoned him to step into the structure with him. He was scared, undeniably so, but if there was any hope for a better life in the human realm than he was willing to take the risk.

Before Phil found him, Technoblade was lost, but with him he was found.

Life didn’t get easier for the piglin hybrid in the overworld. Better, yes, but not easier. Learning the human tongue was by far the most difficult thing he had ever done in his short life, so much so that he’d struggled with slipping into grunts when he got too frustrated to speak. But Technoblade had the one thing he’d always wanted in his life, he had Phil! His father, as he learned they were called by humans, was the shining light in his otherwise bleak world and was the most patient creature he knew, piglin or not.

There were bad days, of course. Days when Techno would get so mad he’d lash out or days when the sun stung his eyes and he couldn’t stop shivering since the nether was so, so much warmer than the human realm. There were days when Phil couldn’t understand him and he’d throw a tantrum. And so many more. But the good days heavily outweighed the bad and Techno wouldn’t change his life for a second anymore.

Of course, right when he had really started to settle into his new life, his dad came home with another human - a child, like he was, he would be told later, this one tremendously shorter than the other human in the room and covered in dirt. Phil claimed that the boy didn’t have any parents either and that he “couldn’t bear to leave him on the streets” so he decided to take him in. Without asking Technoblade first. That night had been witness to the true stubborn nature of the piglin as he refused to talk to either of the humans for days, even when the boy tried to introduce himself as Wilbur. He was sure the tantrum would’ve lasted longer if his father hadn’t decided enough was enough and dragged both boys out of their rooms into the large family room.

Phil told them they had to get along like rational people or they’d be on horse duty until they were thirty. Now, that may not seem like a harsh threat, but both boys knew cleaning the stables was the worst chore they could be stuck with. Reluctantly, the children introduced themselves properly and agreed to get along civilly. They still didn’t like each other, not at all, but they were willing to tolerate the others’ presence.

Technoblade could remember the exact night he had sworn Wilbur as part of his sounder - his family and vowed to protect him no matter what. It had been a few months since Wilbur had been brought in and the three of them had gone out to the nearby village to stock up on supplies for the upcoming winter and Phil had let the two boys go off on their own after promising they would get into trouble. Wilbur, always the more energetic one, dragged Techno through the market, insisting that they look at every stall in case they find something cool. Techno wanted nothing more than to go back to the house and finish the book he had started reading earlier that day, but Phil had been insistent that the piglin accompanied them.

The hybrid had been adjusting the crown on his head (the same one Phil had given him when they first met) and had noticed a shift in the air, but, when he looked around the area, he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary so he dismissed the feeling. The next thing he knew, screams erupted from the villagers and he had lost sight of his brothers. Frantically, he searched for any small areas his brother would have hid in as the locals bumped into him and ran for cover as a barrage of arrows hurled through the stalls. Technoblade ducked, old instincts flaring up as he dodged the arrows and hid behind an abandoned stall.

A group of rogues stood at the mouth of the market, their grey skin corrupted and peeling immediately labeled themselves as Pillagers, a group of humans that had messed with knowledge they shouldn’t have and had gotten cursed and exiled for it. There were five of them, all wearing similar outfits of grey, black and red. The two members on each end held crossbows in their arms and took pleasure in letting their arrows fly. Two stood on each side of the man in the middle, a wickedly sharp iron axe strapped to his back, a large scar cleaved through the man’s right eye and there, in the middle of his tight grip, was his little brother, struggling for his life.

Technoblade could feel his rage grow as the man laughed condescendingly at his struggles and he let out an involuntary growl. Somehow, amidst the chaos, his brother’s dark, terrified eyes found his own. Seeing how scared a member of his sounder was, he vowed to tear the group apart. Looking around, he thanked the Creator that there was a blacksmith in this village. The group were still occupied with terrorizing the villagers so Techno was able to slip into the ship unnoticed. None of the weapons were of stellar quality, but they were good enough to do the trick. The piglin picked up the newest looking iron sword, testing the weight in his hands. Not a perfect fit, but it would do.

“And what do you think you’re doing, brat?” a snide voice questioned from a couple feet behind him and Technoblade turned around, sword gripped tight. One of the archers had strayed from the group, to pick off any stragglers most likely, and now had their crossbow aimed at the piglin’s chest. Techno barred his tusks threateningly, but the Pillager just laughed, not phased by his anger. “You tryna’ be a hero, little guy?”

Honestly, Technoblade didn’t care about being a hero, the only thing he cared about was making sure his _family_ was safe. The corrupted human walked forward on stilted legs, corruption seeming to have made its way into their muscle. It wouldn’t be long before the curse ate away at their heart and they would die in agony. But Techno didn’t have that long to wait so he settled his body into a familiar fighting stance and growled at the rogue.

The human lifted their crossbow to their shoulder and prepared to shoot but Techno gave them no time to push the lever. He twisted to his right in a feint before curving the blade down so it slashed across the Pillager’s stomach. The blade wasn’t as sharp as the piglin would’ve liked but it startled the human enough that it clenched on the lever, the arrow flying harmlessly above him and struck against the wood walls of the building. As the rogue was distracted, Technoblade twisted the sword up before using all his strength into bringing it back down, successfully tearing through the skin and muscle of their shoulder, producing a violent scream. The human dropped to the ground, their right arms hanging limp at their side and Techno didn’t hesitate to plunge the sword into their chest. Technoblade would argue he did them a favor. Rather than die a slow and agonizing death they were dealt a swift and, relatively, painless one.

Blood was splattered against his white shirt, effectively ruining it, his hair had escaped its braid, and his crown had fallen to the side of his head. He paid that no mind as he made his way out of the blacksmith and past the fallen bodies of the locals. Techno only had eyes for his brother, he still hadn’t found his father but he knew the man could look after himself. There were only two other Pillager’s left at the start of the market, a sickly looking one with an iron sword holstered on his side, and what seemed to be the leader of the group with Wilbur still struggling in his arms.

His brother seemed relatively unscathed, if not a bit traumatized, but Techno could work with that. Technoblade stepped out into the square and three pairs of eyes locked onto his. The smaller rogue wore a demented smile and looked closer to death than the others had, but Techno knew not to underestimate them and the leader looked at him as if he were some annoying bug he wanted to squish underneath his boot. The piglin stared back at them unflinchingly.

“Oh, so we’ve got a hero, do we?” The leader snarled and Techno wanted to roll his eyes. This group seemed to be obsessed with the idea of heroes. “Maybe we should show him what happens to heroes.” He nodded to the one next to him and they whipped out his iron sword and ran faster than what should’ve been impossible due to the state of their corruption.

Technoblade feinted through the head-on attack and spun behind the rogue, swiping his sword up violently. The cut started to bleed immediately but the human didn’t seem phased and lunged around, catching the pigling off guard. Techno dug his heels in and blocked the attack with the edge of his sword, the brunt of the swing making him slide a couple inches. This one was definitely a harder opponent than the first, but Technoblade had fought worse when he was still a child in the Nether. He pushed back and waited until the rogue backed off before making another strike, parrying their attack by swinging it up, watching as it slid up the other’s sword and then brought his own down to slice across their stomach.

Metal on metal clashed throughout the whole village and Technoblade could feel the sweat slipping down his neck but he put all his focus on the fight in front of him. He missed a block and pain sliced through his left arm. Technoblade grunted in exertion but found an opening when the rogue took a second to relish in their hit. In that split second of hesitation, Techno twisted the sword in his hand and drew it across the other’s neck. Black blood spilled out through the slice and the Pillager only had enough time to look surprised before they fell to their knees and then dropped to their stomach.

The leader hummed and Techno could tell he had peaked the other’s interest. The man threw Wilbur to the side and the piglin could hear his brother’s pained grunt as his knees hit the ground. Techno wanted nothing more than to run to his brother and promise him everything was going to be okay, but knew he couldn’t take his eyes off the man who was slowly making his way towards him. The hulking figure of the man reminded Techno of the piglin brutes he would fight before he met Phil but there was something much more terrifying about a fight when his brother and father’s lives were on the line.

“Oh?” the man - if Techno could even call it that - chuckled. He had pulled his axe from its place on his back and shifted it from one hand to the other. “The kid’s got some moves. Impressive. For a filthy hybrid,” he tacked on, delighting in the dangerous growl it elicited. This man, this cursed and corrupted and _pitiful_ being who was too stubborn to know when to leave forbidden knowledge alone thought he had _any_ right to judge Technoblade for who he was. The thought alone made rage climb up his throat and threaten to blind him. He had been judged since he was born for something he couldn’t help and he was _done_ being pushed around by people who thought they were better than him.

Techno lifted the sword to chest level and watched as the man gripped the axe with both hands. “I’d advise you to stop talking,” the piglin barked to the amusement of the Pillager. They moved to strike at the same. The sheer force and power behind the rogue’s swing pushed Technoblade back and the piglin worried he wouldn’t be able to win the fight.

The Pillager met his swift movements with brunt force and power. As Techno twisted the sword in his hand to lunge, he stomach was hit with the handle of the Pillager’s axe. His breath was knocked out of his lungs and his sword clattered to the ground along with him. The piercing cold of the axe tilted his chin up until he was forced to stare into the pure black eyes of the Pillager.

“Heroes don’t always win, kid,” the man rasped and looked victorious. He swiveled the axe in his hands until the deadly sharp metal pressed against his throat. Techno felt dread crawl up his throat and, suddenly, he desperately wished he hadn’t pushed Wilbur away for the past months. Wished that he hadn’t gone back on his promise of never jeopardizing any potential he would get and now he’d never be able to have a sibling. He’d never even gotten to thank his dad for everything the man did for them.

A sharp inhale and the uncomfortable sound of a sword piercing flesh clawed through his panic and Techno watched as a gleaming blue sword was pulled out of the Pillager’s motionless chest. The man fell to the ground with a heavy thud and then Techno was staring into the teary, blue eyes of his father and the piglin had never felt so relieved.

“Dad!”

“I swear to the Creator, Technoblade!” his father cried, simultaneously angry and relieved as he picked up the piglin and held him to his chest, unbothered by the black blood that covered them both. “I’m never letting either of you out of my sight again. I turn around and suddenly you two aren’t there and there’s a raid happening at the same time.” With Techno still clutched in his arms, he kneels by Wilbur, the dark haired boy was shaking and tears streamed down his face. The piglin leapt out of his father’s embrace and quickly wrapped his arms around his brother.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you!” he cried into the boy’s shoulder. The other boy clung to him as well until they were both a mess of blood and tears and their father smiled warmly at the two of them. Phil stood up, holding out each of his hands for the boys to take and they made their way out of the village.

Before they could get far, a member of the town ran up to them and profusely expressed their thanks on behalf of the whole village that they had stopped the Pillagers. Apparently they had been terrorizing the town for weeks and none of their citizens were very good with weapons. They presented Phil with two emeralds and another barrage of thanks, but none of them missed the distrust the villager had in their eyes when they went to leave.

That would start a lifetime of contempt and bloodshed, but the family didn’t know that yet. And, for the next few weeks, Wilbur and Techno were inseparable and Phil was just glad his boys were finally getting along. And, as the family walked away, Technoblade could’ve sworn he felt a hand pat his head, but he was still gripping his father’s hand with his own.

Technoblade’s world would change once again in the evening their cottage was burnt down. Phil had taken both of the boys out on a hunting trip to teach them how to hunt effectively and efficiently when it happened. The boys were armed with a bow and quiver each and both of their bows had the most basic runes carved into them to help with the hunt; power to help increase the damage done, and unbreaking to make the weapon last longer. The bow felt awkward in Techno’s hands, more so than any other weapon he has used before and he didn’t like it. His father escorted them down a small man-made path while Techno and Wilbur trotted behind him.

Unsurprisingly, the two boys weren’t able to secure any meat being their first time, but both had fun learning from Phil. Wilbur talked automatically about all the animals they had seen on the trip, he had always been an avid fan of animals, no matter what kind. As they neared the house, Techno noticed the overwhelming smell of smoke and, judging by the panicked look on his dad’s face, Phil smelt it too. They broke through the treeline, only to see that their small cottage was up in flames. The piglin could barely look at the house without his eyes burning painfully.

Phil had ushered the boys behind him as he went to check the property to see if he could find any trace of what - or who- ever caused the fire. Wilbur gripped his brother’s hand tightly and Techno squeezed it back. His father found a note scratched into the dirt at the line of the property that simply read ‘leave.’ None of them were sure what to think as all their belongings and memories were inside the now ashen house.

They left soon after that, Phil deciding that living so close to the village was no longer the safest option for the family. Their journey was long and Technoblade regretted growing complacent during these years in the overworld because his whole body ached constantly with the constant moving. Eventually, they made it to a new land after months of traveling and all members of the family were ready for a break. Countless hours were put into making a new cottage on a small island they had persuaded the locals to boat them over to.

It wasn’t long before Technoblade grew tired of their sedimentary life and longed to learn and hone his fighting skills. After many arguments with Phil and Wilbur pleading with him to stay, his dad agreed to let him travel. The day he left was filled with tears and goodbye but Technoblade was ready to move on to the next chapter of his life, and it wasn’t like he wouldn’t be coming back home.

Years passed by as Techno traveled and learned and saw parts of the world he never knew existed. He was only able to see his family a couple times during his travels, but he treasured every time he did. After two years of moving from one place to another, he found himself in possibly the coldest biome he’d ever been in. He was bundled in a thick, light blue fur coat with a hood that fit above the crown that rarely left his head these days. The crown had become a sort of comfort item for him, reminding him of the family he still had in what Wilbur had dubbed ‘NewFoundland,’ and its weight had become familiar and calming. Holstered to his belt was a blue sword, shimmering in the light and carved with the strongest runes Technoblade could find.

He had heard rumors of a monster terrorizing a town to the north when he first boarded the continent and, when he had asked the locals, they pointed him to where this town apparently was. Now here he was, stuck in a never ending snow storm chasing a rumor that was probably just an urban myth and Techno didn’t know if there was even an actual town where he was headed. Eventually, after his nose felt frostbitten and his hands were numb, he saw smoke in the distance and sped up his pace.

The town seemed to be in disarray, many of the homes were caved in and unlivable so he could see people huddled together trying to stay warm even though it was futile. They looked upon him with weary eyes hardened by a constant struggle and the hybrid could understand them, he was them all those years ago. He passed a group of locals and they told him about the groups of winged beasts that would terrorize their kingdom every night. They pointed them in the direction of the castle, a giant fortress at the edge of town that looked just as ragged as the town itself.

Large portions of the wall had fallen and crumbled and the building itself had been hit by this apparent beast as well. There were guards stationed at the gate of the castle but they waved him through and told him how to find the king. Technoblade supposed they were probably just tired and thought the pigling was someone who could help them. If that were the case, they wouldn’t be wrong. The large building was lifeless and hollow, quiet in every corner even when he passed a servant or two - he’d never understand why other human beings found it necessary to force other people to work for them when they could do it themselves.

A butler ushered him into what he would assume was the dining room as there was a grand table that stretched from one end of the room to another. The head of the table was lined with a few plates in front of a sickly looking man. The man didn’t look old, but Technoblade could tell the man was dying as his hands trembled every time he lifted them, his frame was too thin for a healthy man, and hacking coughs made their way from his throat. An ice blue crowned, shaped to mirror the ice spikes that littered the continent, sat atop his head and the piglin figured this man was the king.

 _No wonder the kingdom is in such a state,_ Technoblade thought to himself.

“Please,” the king’s voice was shaky and uncomfortable to listen to. “Sit down.” He waved to the chairs next to him and Techno picked the one farthest away from the man that he could without seeming rude. “Why have you come, traveler?”

Technoblade shrugged, hands placed awkwardly on the table. He had never been a fan at social interaction of any kind, he had barely been able to talk to his family without it being stilted and awkward. “Um, the town said you had a monster problem?” Creator above, he sounded like when he was learning the human tongue for the first time.

The king laughed jovially, only to interrupt himself with a wet cough that made the piglin flinch. “I suppose you could say that,” he said once the coughing had stopped and a servant had brought him a clean handkerchief. “These beasts have been plaguing my lands for more than a fortnight by now. I’ve sent my best men out to slay these creatures but none have returned. My people are starving and dying every night and I’m powerless to stop it.”

“Do you know what type of beast this is?” Technoblade asked. “I’ve never heard of something like this before.”

“Sadly no, none of our patrols have been seen and the attacks are always very quick. All we know is they burn whatever they touch and that their bite is insanely dangerous.”

The two sit in silence for a moment before the king spoke once again. “Are you any good with that sword, young man?” When Technoblade nodded, the king asked if he would attempt to slay the beasts threatening the town and the piglin agreed. A couple more minutes of negotiating a payment if he were to successfully kill the creatures, and a good night’s rest in an undisturbed room in the castle, saw Technoblade out of the kingdom.

The journey through the patrol routes were treacherous as the snow raged on and the slippery ice threatened to send him to an early grave with every step. Technoblade cursed his thirst for a good fight every time he stumbled on a strip of black ice and was close to giving up entirely before he heard yelling. Climbing to the top of a hill, he could see three large, winged beings swooping down on a group of men, all huddled together while one attempted to scare the monsters away.

The piglin slid down the hardened hill to assist the other man. Together, they were able to fend off the three beasts but they weren’t able to kill them. The creatures shrieked as they were hit and fled to the north, presumably where their brethren were. Technoblade checked on the rest of the men who told him that they were what was left of the patrol sent by the king. He advised the men to pack up whatever they had left and to head back to the kingdom before he set his sights on the directions the creatures traveled.

It only took a few hours before he saw the nest sat atop the peak of a large mountain. The nest was bigger than anything Technoblade had seen before and there were three beasts circling the nests, looking out for any sign of trouble. He snuck his way to the top of the mountain, hiding in the caves and crevices in the mountainside. By the time he had made it to the top near the nest, two of the beasts had flown off, leaving only one behind. The piglin struggled up the side of the nest, bark and metal and loose stone cuts through his skin until his hands were left bloody and raw, but he had a mission. Inside the nest, there were two smaller winged creatures wrapped up in their own wings.

The beasts flesh was an indigo color and was vivisected by bones down its entire back before it merged into a tail. Though he couldn’t see the eyes of the smaller beasts, he could tell by the one circling the nest, that their eyes were a piercing shade of green, a more toxic version of emeralds. As quietly as he could, Technoblade slipped his sword from his holster and climbed into the makeshift nest. He stilled as the creatures shuffled in their sleep, heart beating in his throat, but they settled down quickly.

The first kill is quick and easy and the beast dies in its sleep, but the other wakes soon after that and lets out a shrill screech at the intruder. Technoblade stabbed through it’s vulnerable stomach and its cries died out in seconds, but the damage had already been done. The remaining beast sees its dead hatchlings and cries out, swooping down faster than Techno could follow.

Incredibly sharp teeth bit into his right arm and he struggled to the ground as the beast let go and flew back up, waiting for the next strike. The pain is almost unbearable but the pigling clenched his teeth and propped up one knee, waiting for the creature to dive again. Once close enough to hit, Techno swiped its belly and it shrieked. By the time the beast finally fell to the nest in front of him, his arm was slick with blood and his vision swam.

He could hear the faraway flaps of the other beasts making their way back to the nest and Technoblade cursed his stupidity, regretting ever agreeing to slay the beasts. But here he was, bleeding out on the top of some mountain with a bunch of winged bastards had a taste for flesh. He was already there, though, and if he was going to die, he might as well take down these creatures as well.

Making his way out of the nest, he holed up in a dimly lit cave and ripped off long pieces of his wool shirt to use as makeshift bandages. Techno bit back a grunt as he shimmied out of his coat for better access to the bite, the heavy fabric trying to stick to the wound. Once only the bite was on display, he wrapped the bandages around his arms as tight as he could without cutting off his circulation. Since he had no way of adhering the bandages to his skin, he had to make due with a simple knot at the end of each piece of fabric. It was rudimentary at best, but it would, hopefully, stop the bleeding for he bled to death.

Shrieks pierced the night as the two remaining beasts found their nestmate and hatchlings dead. As he waited, Techno could hear the powerful flaps of their wings as they searched for him and he knew he’d have to act fast if he wanted to win the fight. He made his way out of the cave and it only took seconds before the beasts caught sight of him, their eyes built for the dark.

They swooped down simultaneously and Technoblade dodged to the left, rolling out of their bite range. As they flew back up, the piglin crouched into a fighting position and held back until they were close enough that he could feel the force of their wing flaps. Using all his strength, he arched his sword and brought it down on the beast's necks, successfully beheading one and injuring the other enough that it soon bled out.

As the piglin picked himself up, he cleaned off the blood from his blade, making sure the blood didn’t ruin any of the runes carved into its hilt, before he holstered it. A stinging pain spread throughout the side of his neck, almost feeling like the familiar licks of fire from the nether. He clawed the skin there, trying to get rid of the pain but he couldn’t feel any type of wound. The feelings died as quickly as it had come and Technoblade was convinced it was just a hallucination from blood loss.

Techno grabbed the head of the beast, knowing the king would want something as proof that he had actually slayed the creatures terrorizing the kingdom. The trek back to the castle took a full day this time as the pigling hybrid was forced to stop and rest halfway through. If he had kept going, he would’ve passed out in the middle of a snow heap and froze to death.

The castle was still quiet when he arrived, none of the citizens knowing that the beasts had been slain. Whispers erupted amongst the few individuals who were out in the early morning once they saw the bloody head of the creature gripped in his hand. When he arrived at the gates, he was immediately brought to the throne room where the king sat at an ornate dark blue and white throne. The man looked no better than he had a few days ago, but it was obvious he was made to look healthier than he was for the public.

“I see you come bearing gifts,” the king stated and nodded towards the head.

“There was a nest a few days north of here,” Technoblade replied and let the head slip to the ground, blood streaking the polished floors. “They won’t bother you anymore.”

The king nodded again and then struggled to his feet, waving away the servant who made to help him, and limped to Techno. The man assessed the piglin for a long moment but Techno kept his gaze steady. He reached up and tilted Technoblade’s chin to the left then hummed knowingly.

“It seems the Boar God has taken a liking to you,” he said and Techno was convinced the old man had officially lost it. As far as he knew, there weren’t any gods in this world, only the Creator, and even they were just a bedtime story told to children. A wrinkled finger tapped against the side of his neck and Technoblade recognized it as the place that had burned for a few seconds after his fight. “Get me a mirror,” the king demanded from a nearby servant and the person scurried to obey.

“In the meantime,” the old king continued and turned around to head to a set of doors behind the throne. “Follow me, young champion.” He beckoned Technoblade when he didn’t follow and the piglin hybrid was tempted to roll his eyes at the dramatics, but followed behind nonetheless.

They walked through hallway after hallway until they blurred together in Techno’s mind and he wondered how anyone could live in such a big, lonely, building. Eventually, the king stopped in front of a large portrait of a wild boar, an animal Technoblade had only seen a few times before. He tugged on the painting and it creaked open, revealing a dark hallway on the other side. Beckoning Techno in first, the piglin set one hand on his sword in case the man tried to pull something. The king stepped in behind him and shut the painting. At the same time, dim lights flickered on and the man led him forward. At the end of the tunnel was a large room filled with tables and shelves of antiques and treasures.

“The Antarctic Empire is an old one,” the king started. “My predecessors lived through countless wars and acquired countless riches from those wars. Greed runs in my family’s blood and the kings before me kept these locked up so no one could ever find them.”

“So why are you showing me?”

“It’s only good manners to repay such a courageous deed as the one you committed for my kingdom, do you think?”

Technoblade shrugged, he didn’t make helping governments a hobby and only did when their people were in actual danger, Most of the time, he would be paid in emeralds or whatever the currency was for wherever he was. Absentmindedly, he strolled through the room, fingers running over the antiques. He would admit there were a lot of interesting trinkets to be found in the room, but his eyes were drawn to a mask shoved to the back of one of the shelves.

The mask was clearly old, dust covered too much of it to even be seen properly. Techno waved to the shelf, silently asking the king if he had permission to touch, to which he got a gentle head nod as he watched from the entrance of the room. His hands were gentle as he picked up the mask and brushed to dust and dirt off it with his coat sleeve. It was a dark pink color, only a couple shades lighter than that of blood, and felt like it had been made with the finest leather. It had cut outs for the eyes and the nose of a boar in the middle. Near the bottom of the mask were half-circle cut outs, as if meant to rest on something.

He wasn’t sure how the mask was meant to be worn, there were no bands or clips to hold it in place. Techno raised the mask to his face anyways and noted that the half circles fit perfectly around his tusks and that the mask felt practically molded to his skin. It was as if it had been made specifically for him, but it couldn’t have been because it had to be decades old and he had never even heard of the Antarctic Empire before these past few days.

“It fits, doesn’t it?” the king questioned and the pigling startled, completely forgetting there was someone else in the room with him. He took the mask off, it slid off his skin easily but, somehow, he knew that it wouldn’t fall off randomly in battle. Techno nodded.

“I’m not surprised.” Technoblade wasn’t sure what to say to that, but the man pressed on anyways. “Would you like anything else?” And, even though he had barely looked at half of the items stored within the room, he already knew there was nothing else in here that he needed, so he shook his head and followed the king out of the room.

Once they got back to the throne room, a servant was waiting for them with a mirror in their hands, which was handed to Technoblade. He took it and, when the king gestured to his neck, he held it up to his head to see whatever the king was seeing. There, in the middle of neck, right before his neck met his shoulder, was a drawing of a boar inked into his skin. The illustration of the boar was simplistic, its body was curved into a half circle with small spikes representing its mane and its tusks twisted into circles.

“What is this,” Techno asked sharply, his fingertips ghosting over the inked design.

The old king gestured for the piglin to follow him and, as Technoblade was led back into the dining hall, the man started to speak.

“When my grandfather’s father was king, almost centuries ago, he heard a rumor from a passing traveler about a great beast threatening the shores of an island kingdom. Apparently, according to the traveller, there was a great monument underneath the waves of the nearby ocean, one that many had dared to explore but none had returned alive. It was said that the creatures that dwelled in this monument guarded it fiercely.”

They had sat down at the table by then and, with items delivered to him by the numerous servants in the castle, Technoblade started to address his wounds more closely as he listened to the tale.

“My predecessor ordered a squad of his finest men to travel to this monument and bring back the head of one of these beasts. When the men arrived at the kingdom, armed with potions to let them breathe underwater in order to fight the creatures, none of them were prepared to fight off the barrage of these aquatic guardians. They lost more than half of their squad that day, but they were victorious and cut off the head of the biggest guardian. As they explored the monument, they found a water-tight chest and inside, was the very same mask you chose from the vaults.”

Technoblade had finished disinfecting his bite wound, noting that it would leave a nasty scar on his bicep, and was now bandaging it again. “Okay?” he asked, not grasping what the king was getting at.

The king laughed jovially. “Fair enough. There’s a myth within my kingdom that goes back a millenia about a god of war and blood, but also of justice and compassion. This god understood that, sometimes, violence was the only option but knew that the only point for bloodshed should be in securing the protection of those who cannot fight. The myth states that the god chose a champion at a time when justice was needed and that champion was marked with their symbol once they had proved themselves. A symbol of a boar.” He nodded to the new mark on Technoblade’s neck and the hybrid laughed in disbelief.

“You can’t expect me to believe that,” he said. “You said it yourself; it’s just a myth.”

The old king looked at him knowingly. “Then how did you get that mark on your neck? And how does that mask fit only you out of the hundreds who have tried to wear it before?”

“Coincidences.”

“Perhaps,” the king mused. “I suppose I cannot force someone to believe, but you’ll learn in due time.”

Technoblade couldn’t help but feel that last comment was extremely ominous and he was ready to be done with this place. Apparently, fate was not on his side as the king asked if the piglin would stay in the kingdom a bit longer, claiming he would be paid handsomely for his help repairing the town. He agreed because he figured it wouldn’t take too much time or effort to help.

He ended up staying weeks longer than he intended and that would prove to be his downfall. By the time the piglin had been getting ready to leave, the king had fallen bedridden from his sickness and was on his last leg. The man had requested Techno’s presence late one night and, though he wasn’t too keen on seeing the dying king, he was still living in the castle and he didn’t want to risk being thrown out.

When he got to the man’s room, he could hear the rattling from his breath. On his last breath, the man, sick, dying, and heirless, made Technoblade the new king of the Antarctic Empire. Vowing to find someone more suitable for the role of king than he, Technoblade to hold the position for a period of time.

Unsurprisingly, being king of a kingdom with citizens that barely knew him was harder than it would seem. The months dragged on and the weight on his shoulders grew heavier and heavier until he could barely sleep at night and his temper grew more severe. It seemed the people of this kingdom felt Techno should bow to their every demand and, when he refused, they’d shun him until they needed something else.

On top of that, he had only seen his family a total of two times since becoming king and it was starting to wear on him. According to Phil, Wilbur had met a young boy on their weekly trip to the mainland and they immediately took a liking to each other and his father was considering adding him to the family. Techno was told horror stories about the gremlin child that always had a trick or prank up his sleeve, but the piglin could tell that both Wilbur and Phil were smitten with the young boy. He invited them to visit continuously, but they had only made the trip once after the boy agreed to accompanying them.

Both of his family members looked older than when he had first left. Wilbur was taller, almost too tall that he swore his brother could be part enderman. The child, who looked to be no older than ten, currently clinging to his brother’s hand was also ridiculously tall for his age with dirty blond hair and he was bundled in a thick brown winter coat. He rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet, obviously too energized to keep standing around. Phil introduced Technoblade and Tommy and the piglin could see the wonder in his new brother’s eyes when he looked at him.

“You’re Technoblade?” Tommy asked excitedly, as if he were meeting his hero. Techno nodded. “You’re so cool! Wilbur and Phil have told me all about your fights! Can you teach me?” He said all of this in one breath and he inhaled sharply after he was done. Techno chuckled at the boys - his brother he supposed - and glanced at the other men, who didn’t look surprised, so the piglin guessed this was normal for Tommy.

“We’ll see,” he said instead of giving a straight answer before he led the three on a tour of the village and through the castle. They all, especially the youngest, were enthralled with the kingdom and, even though Technoblade still wasn’t thrilled with being king, felt good knowing his family liked his territory. His family stayed for a couple weeks before Wilbur and Tommy grew restless. After a lot of discussing and arguing, Phil decided he would stay with Technoblade since he hadn’t been with his family in a very long time, and he entrusted Tommy’s safety to his other child. The two were off within days after a dramatic farewell from the two youngest.

Technoblade wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t enjoy having Phil there with him because he did. It was comforting to have someone that he knew was completely on his side and he quickly appointed the older man as his second in command. The kingdom and her citizens seemed to become happier as the years dragged on and they slowly became more comfortable with an outsider as their king.

Throughout the years as king and the champion of the Boar God (more commonly referred to as the Blood God), the piglin hybrid learned the true weight of those titles. Not only were the politics of running an entire kingdom and being responsible for hundreds of lives extremely difficult to someone who had only known death and fighting, he had the added pressure of being the champion of a literal god on his shoulders. While, for the most part, being the champion didn’t mean much more than an overwhelming sense of bloodlust and the need for justice, there were times where he couldn’t deny the call for battle. Whether it was for his kingdom or for a more personal vendetta, his bloodlust would rise to the point where it was dangerous for him to be within his kingdom.

He had waited until he no longer could to tell Phil about everything. The man was surprisingly accepting, if a little confused as he had never been the champion of a bloodthirsty god. When Technoblade would disappear for days on end, before eventually returning to the kingdom drenched in blood, Phil would take care of the land and citizens. The pigling could tell that his citizens were quickly becoming terrified of him, but there wasn’t much he could do about it and he hoped that they would see that, largely, he was doing this to keep them safe.

About four years after Phil had joined him in the Antarctic Empire, they had gotten a letter from Wilbur and Tommy stating that they would be leaving their home in NewFoundland for a new land. According to the youngest of the family, they had gotten bored of their sedentary lifestyle on the small island and wanted to find somewhere that had more people and more fun. It took a couple months for them to get another letter, but when they did it was from Tommy describing how they had settled in a land owned by someone named Dream, a man that Technoblade had run into a couple times throughout his travels. Techno knew that the other man was extremely egotistical but, though he was loath to admit it, he was extremely skilled in combat and was wickedly intelligent. He was definitely nervous about his brothers living in his territory, but Technoblade knew Wilbur and Tommy could handle themselves.

The piglin had just started to settle into a routine in his busy life when fate decided to screw him over once again. He had been tucked into his favorite sofa in the library when one of the servants burst into the room unexpectedly. The woman’s hair, previously tucked neatly into a high bun, was frazzled and her breaths were short and her expression bordered on horrified.

Reluctantly accepting that his relaxing day had been interrupted, Technoblade closed his book and set it to the side before indicating the woman to tell him what’s wrong. Through hurried breaths, he was told of a new monster threatening the eastern borders of the kingdom. The villages to the east of the capitol largely kept to themselves and relied on local help rather than going straight to the crown, so Techno knew there must’ve been something really wrong. He was told how this creature, seemingly summoned from a group of the town’s youth, could summon explosions out of nothing, inflict someone with extreme poison, and dealt an extraordinary amount of damage.

“Are the locals not able to deal with it themselves?” he asked once she was finished, not unkindly, just questioning. The woman shook her head.

“According to the messenger,” she started, “they have already sent many of their best fighters but none have returned and they’re getting desperate. They say they’re willing to pay with half of their yearly harvest to make up for the inconvenience.”

Technoblade shook his head, knowing that taking half of their harvest would be completely detrimental for the citizens. Besides, he had no need for anything extra. Even with reducing the previously extremely high taxes, his castle was almost overrun with useless items and necessities.

“Tell them not to worry about it,” he told her while standing up. “We have no need for payment when they’re in danger. Let the messenger know that I’ll head out tomorrow and that they can rest in one of the guest chambers tonight if need be.”

The servant looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected the level of kindness their new king possessed. Technoblade didn't think he was being kind, necessarily, he thought he just had basic human decency to not order his citizens to starve. He sent the woman away before making his way to find Phil. Unsurprisingly, the piglin found his adoptive father helping one of the older couples in the town fix their house. Phil had always found it hard to refuse a cry for help and Techno knew the man loved building. He told Phil that he would be leaving in the morning to find this creature. Phil offered to come with him, but Technoblade deied, stating that he needed his second in command to watch over the kingdom.

Morning came fast and, with it, Technoblade headed to the easternmost cities of the Antarctic Empire. The trip was a few days long, even with his fastest horse, and by the time the sight of smoke and chimneys entered his vision, he never wanted to travel again. The village was in disarray, all of its inhabitants were running around wildly trying to put out fires and free people from the wreckage of the buildings.

Explosions could be heard at the edge of the city and Technoblade made sure to get Carl, his horse, to safety before making his way to the noise on foot. None of the citizens interrupted him but the piglin could hear the whispers fill the air, speculating as to why the king is here of all people and wondering if their king was as talented and ferocious as the rumors suggested. By the time he had made it to the desolate and ashen outskirts of the city, the sound of explosions, the screams of men, and the clash of swords was upon him.

Technoblade could see the figure of the beast through his mask from where he stood, it’s blackened flesh and grotesque protruding bones and three heads made for an unpleasant sight. The piglin hybrid had only heard tales of this beast before and had waved it off as superstitious nonsense and the tall tales of the youth. Seeing the same monster he had dismissed as legend right in front of him was slightly concerning, but Techno didn’t let it throw him off.

There were a few injured men lying near the edge of a huge crater and he helped them get to a safer spot away from the destruction. Technoblade crouched from the hill he was on and pulled his bow off of his back and took an arrow from the quiver. The bow was etched with the strongest of runes he could find and it shimmered from the magic. He cocked the arrow and honed in on the floating creature. There were men trying to hit the Wither from the ground and none of them were having any luck as the creature would retaliate with harsh explosions that pushed the group back.

Once he was sure he had the shot, Techno let the arrow fly. It hit the mark perfectly and the mob stumbled back in the air, letting out a terrifying raspy roar and retaliated, throwing down heads made out of thin air that exploded the moment they touched the ground. He repeated this until the gleaming shield that encompassed the beast cracked and shattered, bringing it closer to the ground. Bodies littered the ground around the Wither, the group of men having succumbed to its last insanely powerful blast so Technoblade was the only one left. He set the bow and quiver down on the ground and took his sword out of the holster.

The creature twisted and howled as Technoblade pierced through its thick skin, the mob proving to not be that much of an opponent. As his blade pierced its flesh for the final time, the Wither’s scream echoed across the barren land and traveled through the village, stopping its citizens in their tracks. The Wither fell with a shaking thud that trembled the ground Techno stood on.

As the creature disintegrated to black ash, a shining star was left in his place. Technoblade picked up the star, the item emitted a strange heat on his skin but he tucked it into his coat pockets and went to retrieve his bow and quiver. He helped the injured men to the village, the local healer taking them from him when she saw their wounds, and then went to unwind Carl from the stable.

The whispers returned once he made it into the town and the pigling could tell they were scared of him. It wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t sick of the constant paranoia and nervousness his subjects directed towards him. Technoblade tried to let the comments and suspicion slide off him, but they managed to worm their way into his heart no matter what he did.

His journey back to the capitol seemed longer and more tiring than before. Technoblade’s arrival in the village outside seemed to spark outrage among the citizens. The moment he set foot inside the gates, Carl trailing behind him, the townspeople yelled at him, calling him evil and cursed. They claimed he was the one causing the misfortune of the kingdom and they demanded he get out. Techno was confused, he didn’t understand how killing a beast that had been terrorizing his citizens meant he was the one forcing these hardships on them.

Phil was by the gates and Technoblade could see his father struggling in the harsh grip of one the guards. Techno rushed to the men, disregarding the angry shouts of the townspeople.

“What is going on here?” he demanded, rage searing through his veins at the sight of his family being in danger.

Phil yanked his arm away from the guard and moved towards Techno, his face pleading. “We have to go,” was all he said before he started pulling on his son’s arm.

“Why? What’s happening?” Techno asked as Phil continued to pull him towards the gates of the capitol.

Phil shook his head. “They’ve lost their minds,” he answered. “The moment you left they started talking about how you’re possessed by something that’s been causing all these mob attacks and demanded that we left immediately.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“I know, but we don’t have a choice!”

They had made it outside the gates by then and rushed from the kingdom on Techno’s horse. He couldn’t help but think about all the important things they had been forced to leave behind by the sudden departure. They had lost the letters from Tommy and Wilbur.

The two rode for days and weeks with only occasional stops before they reached the mainland next to their original island, NewFoundland. The island was now overgrown and needed major work done on the house and land, but Techno felt a sense of calm that came with finally being home.

“What do we do now?” he asked, his voice smaller than he had ever hear it and his father pulled him close.

Phil hugged his oldest son close to him and Technoblade relished in the comfort of his father as the rest of his world broke down. “We’ll be alright,” the man whispered quietly. “We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

**Author's Note:**

> once again, i'm really sorry this took so long to get out! i went into this installment thinking it would only be like 5k words like the other parts but then my brain went off and now here we are. I had to pause in between writing this as well for finals but I'm officially on winter break so fics should be getting out sooner! I hope you guys liked a bit of Techno's history and lore because some of it will come to pass in later installments. 
> 
> also! would you guys rather see the next part with the sleepy bois reuniting in Tommy's pov or Phil's pov?? I can do either but I figured I'd see what you guys would like!
> 
> another also, i've been listening to Wilbur's music and it's so good?? who gave this man so much talent?? I could listen to Since I Saw Vienna on repeat. 
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/cracklesnapple1)
> 
> love you guys! <3


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